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Khaled Meshaal in Gaza

"As long as Palestine is ours and Palestine is the land of Arabism and Islam, we can never recognise the legitimacy of Israel's occupation of it," - Hamas' leader Khaled Meshaal

Senior leadership of Hamas in Gaza

(LONDON) - If the Israelis expected the Hamas to become a Palestinian Judenrat, Hamas' leader Khaled Meshaal made it clear today that this is not going to happen anytime soon.

Meshaal told tens of thousands of people marking Hamas' 25th anniversary that his party will not recognise Israel.

In a fiery speech during his first ever visit to Gaza, he said Palestinians would not cede any part of their land.

Israel’s recent defeat in Gaza made it very clear that Hamas and Islamic resistance is the appropriate answer to Israeli barbarism.

Tens of thousands of Gazans made their way to the Hamas rally earlier today at the al-Qatiba complex west of Gaza City to hear the speech by Mr Meshaal.

"As long as Palestine is ours and Palestine is the land of Arabism and Islam, we can never recognise the legitimacy of Israel's occupation of it," Meshaal told supporters.

"There is no legitimacy for occupation. Hence, there is no legitimacy for Israel, however long time lasts."

The centrepiece of Saturday's rally in Gaza City was a huge replica of a type of rocket Gazans fired at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in the recent weeks.

Israel, the US and the EU still consider Hamas a terrorist organisation. However, the Hamas is now a key player in Middle East politics, and it won’t take long before Israel and its allies are ready to accept it.

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Gilad Atzmon was born in Israel in 1963 and had his musical training at the Rubin Academy of Music, Jerusalem (Composition and Jazz). As a multi-instrumentalist he plays Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Saxes, Clarinet and Flutes. His album Exile was the BBC jazz album of the year in 2003. He has been described by John Lewis on the Guardian as the “hardest-gigging man in British jazz".

Gilad Atzmon's essays are widely published. His novels 'Guide to the perplexed' and 'My One And Only Love' have been translated into 24 languages.

As a member of the Blockheads, Gilad has also recorded and performed with Ian Dury, Robbie Williams, Sinead O'Connor and Paul McCartney. Gilad has also recorded with Robert Wyatt, the Water Boys and many others. Learn more about Gilad by visiting his Website